It Happened Again
by IchatrinaObsessedSleepyGirl
Summary: An Ichatrina Christmas after the war has ended. Just some random fluffiness. One-Shot


The smell of cinnamon greeted her senses when consciousness found her. Burying herself further into the comfort of her soft pillow, she wrapped her arms around it in an attempt to ward off the morning's coming. It was entirely too cold to even contemplate removing herself from the warmth of her blankets and as she didn't feel arms and legs sprawled all over her, she made an assumption that she was alone in the bed, a rarity for sure.

After a time of her denial, the bedroom door creaking as it opened alerted her to someone's presence, though, she couldn't guess whose quite yet. However, the soft pad of feet against the wood floor caused a smile to come to her face.

"Mommy?"

Turning her head to the side, she was greeted with a grin and bright green eyes. With her own grin, she lifted the blankets to allow her little one entrance to her warm space. When he was snuggled up to her, she kissed his head and asked, "Are you warm?"

His dark hair fell into his eyes as he nodded.

Lifting her hand to push it back, she smiled. "Where's your father?"

"Breakfast," he answered in his small voice, his 'r' still absent and replaced with a 'w', prompting her to smile.

"Are your sisters helping?"

Another nod gave his answer as he twisted his fingers in her hair. "Mommy?"

"Mhm?"

"When can I open my presents?"

With a smile, she tickled his belly. "In the morning, silly."

His laugh was followed by his squirming to escape her. "Mommy!"

The bed sprung up as another body hit the end of it. Glancing up, she was met with the dark messy hair of her six year old as she scrambled up the bed. Blue eyes shining, Bella smiled. "Daddy said to get up!"

Shaking her head, she pulled the covers over her and Aiden's heads, inciting a giggle from him. He always reveled in getting something over on his sisters. Bella's hands tugged at the blankets in an attempt to remove them, but failed in her attempt. When she finally fell across them in defeat, Katrina slowly moved the blanket just below her eyes to find Bella pouting with her arms crossed. With a smile, she sat up and pulled her daughter into her lap.

"And what are we having for breakfast this morning?"

"Cinnamon rolls," Bella answered with a grin. "Emma helped."

"But not you?"

Bella shook her head. "Daddy said I was the supervisor."

Smiling, she considered just how gently Ichabod had most likely put that. Bella had the tendency to break anything and everything in her path.

Aiden tugged at her arm, pulling her gaze to find him now pouting. Her youngest had quite the dislike with his sisters taking up his attention. Laughing, she untangled herself from her blankets and stood from the bed before turning to lift him up. "Come on, let's go see how big of a mess Bella's supervision has allowed."

"It's not my fault," Bella squealed as she made to follow them from the room.

Upon making her way down the long hallway, she entered the kitchen and came to an abrupt halt. Her husband and daughter were talking amidst a flour and egg covered countertop. When her eyes met Ichabod's, he gave a lopsided grin and shrugged as Bella bolted past her to climb up a stool to sit beside her sister.

"What do we have here?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

Emma turned from her spot atop the counter, pushing her red hair from her blue eyes. "Mommy, we made you a special breakfast!"

Before she could speak Bella grinned. "I already told her."

Emma turned to her younger sister with an identical glare Katrina, herself, had received earlier. "You weren't supposed to tell her!"

Bella shoved at her shoulder. "You got to make it."

"So!"

"Alright, alright," said Ichabod, stepping up next to their bickering daughters and taking their shoving hands in his own.

Unable to contain her smile, she shifted Aiden on her hip to move around the counter to stand beside him. As she took in his flour sprinkled shirt, she smirked, "And what inspired this special breakfast?"

His eyes met hers again, the blue in them glinting. "It is Christmas-"

"And we wanted to give you a present!" cut in Emma, her red hair once again in her eyes.

"Well, thank you, my sweet girl," she said, placing a kiss to her cheek.

"I helped," Bella exclaimed with a pout. "I supervised."

Chuckling, Katrina leaned in and placed a kiss to Bella's cheek as well. "I'm so happy to have such thoughtful little girls." Aiden's arms tightened around her neck, pulling her gaze. "And, of course, my precious little boy."

A huff came from her husband prompting her to turn toward him to find him with his own pout. Rolling her eyes, she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Where would I be without you, my love?" She smirked. "The one whom I'm sure concocted this whole..." She glanced around at her messy kitchen. "Wonderful idea."

He gave a scandalized look. "Well, if you must know, Aiden thought the idea up last night."

With a surprised smile, she looked to her son. "You thought this up?" His shy smile was followed with a nod which prompted her to pull him closer. "Thank you, Aiden. I love it."

"Can we eat now?" asked Bella, clearly at the end of her patience. "I'm starving!"

Ichabod chuckled before helping Bella and Emma to the floor. "Off to the table with you two."

Aiden began to wiggle out of her arms, so she let him go follow after his sisters. When she was upright once more, hands crept around her waist, tempting her to turn in his arms. Upon seeing his grin, her smile widened. "What?"

"Nothing," he answered, still grinning uncontrollably. "I just..." He shook his head as he pulled her closer to lean his forehead to hers. "I love you."

Biting her lip, she brushed her nose against his. "I love you, too."

"I'm hungry!" came Emma's shout from across the room.

Ichabod gave a slight roll of his eyes. "Your daughter is hungry, Katrina."

Eyebrow up, she asked, "My daughter?" Stepping back from him, she lifted the plate of cinnamon rolls. "Well, then, I'll just take these and tend to my daughter." She gestured to the pitcher of milk. "Grab that." Making her way over to the table, she set the plate in its center. "Alright, my starving, little ones. Here we are."

Their answering squeals pulled a laugh from her as she took a seat on the bench between Bella and Aiden. When Ichabod was seated opposite her beside Emma, he reached across to take her hand as they always did before eating. After their prayer of thanks for all they'd been blessed with, Emma and Bella immediately dove into their rolls, while Aiden took to tugging at her to talk with him while he ate.

After a while of giggles and guesses at what Christmas presents might be waiting under their tree, her daughter's arguing pulled her eyes to them fighting over the last roll for which Ichabod was doing his best to bargain down to breaking in half for them. Of course, as soon as the argument over that was settled and they'd finished their split pieces, their focus shifted to who would be brushing their teeth first as they ran for the bathroom with Aiden trailing behind in their wake.

As she watched her husband set about cleaning the kitchen, she took a deep breath before rising to join him. As they fell into their routine of his washing and her drying, she did her best to quiet her nerves, but it seemed they would not leave her be until she spoke up. Setting her rag down, she turned off the water he was using and took his hands in her own. At his confused expression, she smiled. "I have a Christmas Eve gift for you."

His grin replaced his confusion as he stepped closer to her. "Do you, now?"

"Mhm," she responded, bringing his hands closer to her and leaning up to whisper in his ear. "It happened again."

Pulling back, she caught his eyes to see him frowning. "What...?"

His gaze fell to their hands as she laid them against her belly. When his gaze flew back to hers, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape, she nodded. "Yes."

It took him a moment to regain function, but when he did, he stuttered, "Well...that's..."

Feeling apprehensive, she asked, "Yes?"

His eyes softened. "Beautiful, my love."

"It is?" she questioned, still unsure. "We said we were finished and I wasn't so sure you'd be thrilled with another. The girls and Aiden are such a handful and-"

Fingers resting against her lips, he shook his head. "They are a handful and loud and messy and all sorts of other things it would take me all day to list."

Chuckling, she smiled as his hand slid to cup her cheek. "But they're our loud, messy, handful and...what's another really?"

Lips caught between her teeth, she nervously gnawed at them as she considered his words. "Are you sure? I mean, I know there's nothing that can be done about it now, but...I don't want you to be upset over it and not tell me."

"Katrina," he whispered, dropping his hands and wrapping them around her middle to pull her closer. "I'm thrilled, my love." He grinned again. "Aiden, on the other hand..."

With a sigh, she nodded. "He's going to be so upset."

Ichabod chuckled. "He does quite enjoy being the youngest."

Eyes closing, she allowed her head to fall to his chest. "At least, we can reuse all the old clothes and other baby things."

His lips caressed her forehead. "That we can."

"Mommy!" came Emma's rather upset voice from the bathroom. "Bella used my toothbrush!"

Ichabod's body shook with his laugh. "Let us hope for another boy."

Pulling away from him, she glared. "Those are your daughters. I never carry on like that. They're dramatic just like you."

An innocent expression crossed his face. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're referring to."

"I'm sure you don't," she muttered as another scream came down the hallway along with something heavy hitting the floor. With a sigh, she began to make her way to deal with her children when his hand caught her wrist and brought her palm to his mouth.

"Thank you for my gift," he whispered against her skin, sending a shiver through her. The intensity behind his sea of blue had her heart in her throat.

Unable to contain her smile, she stepped close to him once more and brushed her lips to his. "I'm glad you're pleased with it because as your gift to me..." She began backing away. "You'll be informing Aiden that he's no longer the baby of the family."

A horrified expression crossed his features. "That's...Absolutely not!"

"Mhm," she answered, her smile widening as she turned to her still bickering children's voices coming down the hallway. "Merry Christmas, Ichabod."

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, so it was random, but I wanted to do something for Ichatrina's Christmas :)<strong>


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